Is it legal to have license plate covers in Illinois and Missouri? State laws differ
If you’ve ever had your registration sticker stolen, you may have considered purchasing a cover for your license plate to prevent it from being tampered with again.
But you might want to check your state’s laws first, as license plate covers are illegal in some places.
To replace a stolen registration sticker in Illinois, you can go online to locate a Secretary of State facility where you can get help. There are locations in Belleville, Mascoutah, Waterloo and other southwestern Illinois towns.
In Missouri, residents whose plates or stickers are stolen can receive two replacements per year for the processing fee cost of $6.
Here’s what to know about license plate obstruction laws in Illinois and Missouri.
Are license plate covers legal in Illinois?
It is unlawful to drive a car with license plate covers in the Land of Lincoln.
“A person may not operate any motor vehicle that is equipped with registration plate or digital registration plate covers,” Illinois law says.
Some license plate covers are designed to obstruct information from red light and other traffic cameras, and drivers that use these can be fined $750. Altering your plate with reflective materials can result in a $1,000 fine.
What about in Missouri?
Missouri drivers can lawfully use license plate covers, so long as they don’t obscure the plate’s information.
“Each such plate may be encased in a transparent cover so long as the plate is plainly visible and its reflective qualities are not impaired,” Missouri law says.
In fact, Missouri doesn’t only allow license plate covers, but actually encourages them.
The Missouri Department of Revenue recommends non-obstructive plastic covers as a theft prevention measure, along with parking in well-lit areas, attaching license plates with all four screws and using screws that require special tools to remove.
